Amorphizing ion implant method for forming polysilicon emitter bipolar transistor

ABSTRACT

A method for fabricating a polysilicon emitter bipolar transistor employs a pair of ion implant methods. A first of the ion implant methods implants a portion of an intrinsic base region interposed between an extrinsic base region and a polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant. A second of the ion implant methods implants the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer. The polysilicon emitter bipolar transistor is fabricated with enhanced performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to methods for forming bipolar transistor devices. More particularly, the invention relates to methods for forming bipolar transistor devices with enhanced performance.

2. Description of the Related Art

Semiconductor products often employ either or both of bipolar transistors and field effect transistors as switching devices or signal processing devices within electrical circuits. Digital semiconductor products generally employ field effect transistors while analog semiconductor products often employ bipolar transistors or bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors (i.e., bipolar transistors in conjunction with field effect transistors).

Bipolar transistors are generally more complex to fabricate in comparison with field effect transistors. For that reason they are often difficult to fabricate with enhanced performance. In addition, such difficulties in fabrication are often more pronounced as bipolar transistor device dimensions are reduced.

It is thus desirable to provide methods for forming bipolar transistors with enhanced performance. The present invention is directed towards that object.

Various bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors having desirable properties, and methods for fabrication thereof, have been disclosed in the semiconductor product fabrication art.

Included but not limiting among the methods are those disclosed within: (1) Lee, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,718 (a bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor fabrication method that employs a polysilicon layer as a ion implant channeling reduction layer); (2) Robinson et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,120 (s bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor fabrication method that employs annular insulator filler rings separating polysilicon emitter and extrinsic base regions); and (3) Naem, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,455 (a bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor fabrication method that provides an ultra-small polysilicon emitter layer).

The disclosures of each of the foregoing references are incorporated herein fully by reference.

Desirable are additional methods for forming bipolar transistors and bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors with enhanced performance.

The invention is directed towards the foregoing object.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the invention is to provide a method for fabricating a bipolar transistor.

A second object of the invention is to provide a method in accord with the first object of the invention, wherein the bipolar transistor is fabricated with enhanced performance.

In accord with the objects of the invention, the invention provides a method for fabricating a bipolar transistor.

The method first provides a semiconductor substrate having formed therein: (1) an intrinsic base region of a first polarity which includes a surface of the semiconductor substrate; (2) an extrinsic base region of the first polarity formed adjoining the intrinsic base region; and (3) a collector region of a second polarity opposite the first polarity formed within the semiconductor substrate and beneath the intrinsic base region. The method next provides for forming a polysilicon emitter layer upon the intrinsic base region and separated from the extrinsic base region. The method still further provides for first implanting a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant. The method finally provides for next implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer.

The invention provides a method for fabricating a bipolar transistor with enhanced performance.

The invention realizes the foregoing object within the context of fabricating a polysilicon emitter bipolar transistor having a polysilicon emitter layer formed upon an intrinsic base region within a semiconductor substrate and separated from an extrinsic base region formed adjoining the intrinsic base region. The invention provides for: (1) first implanting a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant; prior to (2) next implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the invention are understood within the context of the Description of the Preferred Embodiment, as set forth below. The Description of the Preferred Embodiment is understood within the context of the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure, wherein:

FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a series of schematic cross-sectional diagrams illustrating the results of progressive stages in forming a bipolar transistor in accord with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention provides a method for fabricating a bipolar transistor with enhanced performance.

The invention realizes the foregoing object within the context of fabricating a polysilicon emitter bipolar transistor having a polysilicon emitter layer formed upon an intrinsic base region within a semiconductor substrate and separated from an extrinsic base region formed adjoining the intrinsic base region. The invention provides for: (1) first implanting a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant prior to; (2) next implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show a series of schematic cross-sectional diagrams illustrating the results of progressive stages of fabricating a semiconductor product having formed therein a bipolar transistor in accord with a preferred embodiment of the invention. While FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show with specificity the results of fabricating a bipolar transistor, as is understood by a person skilled in the art, the invention is also applicable to a bipolar transistor portion of a bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor. Methods for fabricating such devices are disclosed within the references cited within the Description of the Related Art, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein fully by reference.

FIG. 1 shows a semiconductor substrate 10 having formed therein a series of isolation regions 12 a, 12 b and 12 c that defines a pair of active regions 11 a and 11 b of the semiconductor substrate 10.

The semiconductor substrate 10 may be of either dopant polarity, several dopant concentrations and various crystallographic orientations. The semiconductor substrate 10 may, for example and without limitation, be a silicon semiconductor substrate or a silicon-germanium alloy semiconductor substrate.

The series of isolation regions 12 a, 12 b and 12 c may also be conventional and be formed employing conventional methods. Although the schematic diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates the series of isolation regions 12 a, 12 b and 12 c as a series of shallow trench isolation regions, the invention is not intended to be so limited. Rather the series of isolation regions 12 a, 12 b and 12 c may also include local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) isolation regions.

FIG. 1 also shows: (1) a collector region 14a beneath the pair of active regions 11 a and 11 b of the semiconductor substrate 10; and (2) a collector connection region 14 b adjoining the collector region 14 a and surfacing at the active region 11 b of the semiconductor substrate 10.

Each of the collector region 14 a and the collector connection region 14 b is typically of the same polarity as the semiconductor substrate 10 (which is preferably of N polarity but may be of either N or P polarity), but with a generally higher dopant concentration in a range of from about 1E18 to about 1E20 dopant atoms per cubic centimeter such as to provide a low resistance connection.

FIG. 1 also shows an intrinsic base region 16 formed within the active region 11 a of the semiconductor substrate 10 and a pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b formed adjoining thereto at a periphery of the intrinsic base region 16.

Each of the intrinsic base region 16 and the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b is formed of a polarity opposite the collector region 14 a and the collector connection region 14 b (i.e., preferably of P polarity but may be of either P or N polarity). The intrinsic base region 16 preferably has a dopant concentration of from about 1E14 to about 1E16 dopant atoms per cubic centimeter while each of the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b has a dopant concentration of from about 1E16 to about 1E18 dopant atoms per cubic centimeter.

In order to fabricate the semiconductor product of FIG. 1, the collector region 14 a may be formed upon an exposed surface of a semiconductor substrate and an epitaxial layer may then be formed upon the semiconductor substrate to form the semiconductor substrate 10. The series of isolation regions 12 a, 12 b and 12 c may then be formed into the epitaxial layer portion of the semiconductor substrate 10. Finally, in conjunction with appropriate photomasking, the collector connection region 14 b, the intrinsic base region 16 and the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b may be formed employing three separate ion implant process steps, in any order.

FIG. 2 shows a polysilicon emitter layer 20 formed upon the active region 11 a of the semiconductor substrate 10. The polysilicon emitter layer 20 is nominally centered within the intrinsic base region 16 and separated from the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b by exposed portions of the intrinsic base region 16.

The polysilicon emitter layer 20 may be formed employing patterning methods as are conventional in the semiconductor product fabrication art, with particular consideration for limiting any etching of the active regions 11 a and 11 b of the semiconductor substrate 10. Typically, the polysilicon emitter layer 20 is formed to a thickness of from about 1000 to about 3000 angstroms.

FIG. 3 shows the results of ion implanting the semiconductor product of FIG. 2 while employing a dose of amorphizing non-active dopant ions 22. The ion implanting forms: (1) an amorphized collector connection region 14b′ from the collector connection region 14 b; (2) an amorphized intrinsic base region 16′ from the intrinsic base region 16; (3) a pair of amorphized extrinsic base regions 18 a′ and 18 b′ from the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b; and (4) an amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20′ from the polysilicon emitter layer 20.

The dose of amorphizing non-active dopant ions 22 may employ amorphizing non-active dopants as are otherwise generally conventional in the art. Such amorphizing non-active dopants may include, but are not limited to silicon and argon amorphizing non-active dopants. Typically, the dose of amorphizing non-active dopant ions 22 is provided at a dose of from about 1E13 to about 1E15 dopant atoms per cubic centimeter and an energy of from about 60 to about 80 kev.

FIG. 4 first shows a pair of patterned photoresist layers 21 a and 21 b formed upon the microelectronic product of FIG. 3. The pair of patterned photoresist layers 21 a and 21 b leaves exposed the amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20′. FIG. 4 also shows a dose of active dopant ions 24 (of same polarity as the collector region 14 a) that is employed for implanting the exposed portion of the amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20 a′ to form a doped amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20″. Such implanting with the dose of active dopant ions 24 is undertaken for purposes of providing an appropriate doping level and conductivity of a doped polysilicon emitter layer formed from the doped amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20″. Under circumstances where the polysilicon emitter layer 20 is formed incident to patterning of a blanket polysilicon layer that also provides a pair of gate electrodes within a pair of field effect transistor devices employed within a bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor product, the series of patterned polysilicon layers will often require different dopant polarities and concentrations. Thus, it is common that the polysilicon emitter layer 20 may be formed of an undoped polysilicon material.

FIG. 5 first shows the results of stripping the pair of patterned photoresist layers 21 a and 21 b from the semiconductor product of FIG. 4. The pair of patterned photoresist layers 21 a and 21 b may be stripped employing methods and materials as are otherwise conventional in the semiconductor product fabrication art.

In addition, FIG. 5 illustrates the results of thermally annealing the resulting semiconductor product in a thermal annealing environment 26 to: (1) form from the amorphized collector connection region 14 b′ a thermally annealed amorphized collector connection region 14 b″; (2) form from the amorphized intrinsic base region 16′ a thermally annealed amorphized intrinsic base region 16″; (3) form from the pair of amorphized extrinsic base regions 18 a′ and 18 b′ a pair of thermally annealed amorphized extrinsic base regions 18 a″ and 18 b″; and (4) form from the doped amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20″ a thermally annealed doped amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20′″. The thermal annealing of the foregoing layers provides for a recrystallization of the foregoing layers and thus functional enablement of a bipolar transistor in accord with the invention. The thermal annealing environment 26 is typically provided at a temperature of from about 900 to about 1100 degrees centigrade for a time period of from about 0.5 to about 2.0 hours.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a semiconductor product having formed therein a bipolar transistor in accord with the invention. The bipolar transistor is formed with enhanced performance incident to ion implanting a portion of an intrinsic base region interposed between an extrinsic base region and a polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant prior to ion implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer. While not wishing to be bound to any particular theory of operation of the invention, it is believed that the amorphizing non-active dopant ion implanting provides for an amorphization of the portion of the intrinsic base 16 interposed between the pair of extrinsic base regions 18 a and 18 b and the polysilicon emitter layer 20, such as to provide for an attenuation of any channeling therein incident to the active dopant ion implanting as illustrated in FIG. 4. Such channeling might occur should the pair of patterned photoresist layers 21 a and 21 b not provide inadequate coverage of the sidewalls of the amorphized polysilicon emitter layer 20′.

In order to illustrate the value of the invention, a pair of bipolar transistor devices was fabricated. One was fabricated generally in accord with the preferred embodiment of the invention while employing an amorphizing non-active dopant ion implant employing an argon dopant at an ion implantation dose of about 1E13 dopant atoms per cubic centimeter and an ion implantation energy of about 70 kev. The other bipolar transistor employed no amorphizing non-active dopant ion implantation.

A current gain was measured for each of the pair of bipolar transistors while employing methods as are conventional in the art. The measured current gain for the bipolar transistor fabricated in accord with the invention was 1.00 while for the bipolar transistor fabricated not in accord with the invention the current gain was compromised at about 0.54.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrative of the invention rather than limiting of the invention. Revisions and modifications may be made to materials, structures and dimensions in accord with the preferred embodiment of the invention, while still providing a method for forming a bipolar transistor in accord with the invention, further in accord with the accompanying claims. 

1. A method for fabricating a bipolar transistor comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate having formed therein: an intrinsic base region of a first polarity which includes a surface of the semiconductor substrate; an extrinsic base region of the first polarity formed adjoining the intrinsic base region; and a collector region of a second polarity opposite the first polarity formed within the semiconductor substrate and beneath the intrinsic base region; forming a polysilicon emitter layer upon the intrinsic base region and separated from the extrinsic base region; implanting first a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant; and implanting second the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first polarity is an N polarity.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first polarity is a P polarity.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is provided at an energy of from about 60 to about 80 kev and a dose of from about 1E13 to about 1E15 dopant atoms per square centimeter.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is an argon dopant.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is a silicon dopant.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer is masked when implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with the active dopant.
 8. A method for fabricating a bipolar transistor comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate having formed therein: an intrinsic base region of a first polarity which includes a surface of the semiconductor substrate; an extrinsic base region of the first polarity formed adjoining the intrinsic base region; and a collector region of a second polarity opposite the first polarity formed within the semiconductor substrate and beneath the intrinsic base region; forming a polysilicon emitter layer upon the intrinsic base region and separated from the extrinsic base region; implanting first a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant; implanting second the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer; and thermally annealing the semiconductor substrate.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first polarity is an N polarity.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first polarity is a P polarity.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is provided at an energy of from about 60 to about 80 kev and a dose of from about 1E13 to about 1E15 dopant atoms per square centimeter.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is an argon dopant.
 13. The method of claim 8 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is a silicon dopant.
 14. The method of claim 8 wherein the portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer is masked when implanting the polysilicon emitter layer with the active dopant.
 15. A method for fabricating a bipolar transistor comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate having formed therein: an intrinsic base region of a first polarity which includes a surface of the semiconductor substrate; an extrinsic base region of the first polarity formed adjoining the intrinsic base region; and a collector region of a second polarity opposite the first polarity formed within the semiconductor substrate and beneath the intrinsic base region; forming a polysilicon emitter layer upon the intrinsic base region and separated from the extrinsic base region; implanting first the polysilicon emitter layer, the extrinsic base region and a portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer with an amorphizing non-active dopant; masking the portion of the intrinsic base region interposed between the extrinsic base region and the polysilicon emitter layer; and implanting second the polysilicon emitter layer with an active dopant to form a doped polysilicon emitter layer.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first polarity is an N polarity.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first polarity is a P polarity.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is provided at an energy of from about 60 to about 80 kev and a dose of from about 1E13 to about 1E15 dopant atoms per square centimeter.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is an argon dopant.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein the amorphizing non-active dopant is a silicon dopant. 